The Promotion
by capm
Summary: Good News! Sam's Dad has received a big promotion! But is it really good news? How will it affect the spies?


**The Promotion**

"Phew! I'm glad that mission is over!" says Alex as she and the gals drive home from their latest WHOOP mission. Alex is wearing her long-sleeve green blouse and wheat colored pleated miniskirt, with matching green boots.

"Totally! I'm so tired, I could fall asleep on a park bench!" responds Sam, suppressing a yawn, from her passenger seat in the front next to Alex. Sam is wearing her light tan tube top with tan miniskirt and matching pumps.

"I think I'll pass on our usual Thursday Mall outing tonight, gals! I'm wiped!" exclaims Clover, from her curled up position in the back seat. Clover is wearing a sky blue halter-top with a white pair of pants, with matching white pumps.

"Agreed, gals! I just want to get home and sleep!" states Alex.

"Make that three! I need to rest up, before school tomorrow!" says Sam.

Sam is the first spy dropped off.

"Good night, Sammy! See you tomorrow!" waves Alex.

"Rest up, Sam! Tomorrow we can hit the Mall!" adds Clover, as Alex drives off.

"Good night, guys! Thanks for the lift!" thanks Sam as she waves goodbye and heads for her house.

On entering her house, Sam's Dad says, "Hi, Sam! Could you join your mother and I? I have something important to share with you."

"Sure, Dad," says Sam as she walks into the living room. Gabby is already there. "What's up?"

"Have a seat, Sam."

As she does, she starts to wonder what's going on. Her Mom obviously already knows.

"Sam, I have been named the Regional President for my company's Southeast region!" says her Dad proudly.

"That's great, Dad! I know you've been working toward a Regional Presidency for some time! Congratulations!" says Sam as she excitedly leaps up and gives her Dad a congratulatory hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Of course, that means we will have to move from Beverly Hills," says Gabby quietly.

In the course of the excitement for her father getting this big promotion, the words "Southeast Region" didn't penetrate. All of the sudden, Sam feels weak in the knees and quickly returns to her seat.

"Where and when will we be moving?" asks a now stunned Sam, almost in a whisper.

"To Florida within two weeks. The Regional headquarters is located in West Palm Beach. We'll move to somewhere in that general area," says her Dad.

"Buttercup, you seem disturbed," Vance asks, with concern.

"It's just that we'll all have to make a lot of changes and adjustments," says Sam, but she quickly puts on her falsetto voice and happy face and says, "but I'm sure we can manage! It's a great opportunity for you, Dad!"

"Thanks, Buttercup!" says her Dad as he kisses her on the cheek.

Sam goes to her bedroom quickly. She doesn't want her Mom or especially her Dad to see her crying! Her whole life will be turned upside down in two weeks! She has lived in Beverly Hills all her life! Yes, the family moved to a bigger house, when her Dad was promoted to a Program President about six years ago, but it was only two blocks from her old house! She actually ended up moving closer to both Alex and Clover.

Then it strikes her! Alex and Clover. Her two best friends! They won't be in Florida! And the tears really start flowing as she reminisces how the three met in the schoolyard twelve years ago, and the things they've done together. She also remembers WOOHP. She won't be able to be on the same team with Alex and Clover, and she won't work for Jerry any more, either. Sam ends up crying herself silently to sleep.

The next day at school, Alex and Clover see Sam.

"Hi, Sam, how are you doing today?" asks Alex in a bright, cheerful tone.

"OK, I guess," replies Sam sadly.

"Sam, what's wrong? You act like you lost your best friend," asks a very concerned Clover.

"No, Clover. I'm actually going to lose both of you!" says Sam.

"WHAT?!?" exclaim Alex and Cover together.

Sam continues, sadly. "Yesterday when I got home, I found out that my father had been promoted…."

"But that's a GOOD thing, Sammy!" says Alex confusedly.

"Please, let me finish. He's been promoted to a Regional President of the Southeast Region of his company!"

"Southeast Region? Where is that?" asks Clover quietly.

"He'll be based in West Palm Beach, Florida!"

Alex and Clover look at one another than sadly back at Sam. They are going to be losing their best friend, Sammy! Tears start to cloud their eyes.

"How soon?" asks Alex, almost inaudibly.

"We leave in two weeks," responds Sam as tears roll down her checks.

"Then, we only have two weeks left together?" asks a sad Alex, as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

"Yes," replies Sam dolefully.

Wiping the tears from her eyes as well, Clover says with resolve, "Well, we just have to make these last two weeks the best we've ever had together!"

"Right! We have to send our Sammy off the best way possible!" says Alex with resolve as well.

The three girls share a tender group hug and whisper, "Friends forever!"

Just then they get WOOHP'd by the janitor's closet.

"Jerry!" they exclaim on landing.

"Jerry, before you get into the mission, I have something I've got to tell you," says Sam quietly.

A concerned Jerry says, "Certainly, Sam. Do you wish to do it in private, or here in front of the group?"

"Could we do it in private?" Sam says, almost in a whisper.

Alex says, "We'll go get a latte at the WOOHP latte machine, and come back. Come on Clover."

As Alex and Clover leave, Jerry asks, "So, what's on your mind, Sam?"

"Jerry, my father has received a big promotion, but that means we will be moving to Florida!" says a distressed Sam.

"I see," says Jerry darkly, "when are you supposed to move, Sam?"

"In two weeks."

"Sam, I can put in a good commendation for you to our Florida WOOHP office. You'll be assigned to a wonderful team!"

"But Jerry, the Florida team would never be as wonderful as the team I'm on now!"

"But Sam, you'll be out of my region! You'll physically be unable to remain on the same team as Clover and Alex! " states Jerry sadly.

"I know, Jerry. That's why I want to resign from WOOHP as of Friday two weeks from now," responds Sam sadly.

After reflecting for a short time on Sam's decision, Jerry responds, "Very well, Sam. As of Friday, two weeks from today, you will officially resign from WOOHP. You will be missed, you know."

"WOOHP can find another agent to do my job."

"But my WOOHP won't be able to find another you!" says Jerry sadly, as he gets up from behind his desk, and gives Sam a big hug.

Sam returns the hug, saying quietly, "I'm really going to miss you, Jerry!" as she softly cries a few tears. Clover and Alex just catch the tail end of the hug. Jerry really does care about them, they both think. He's going to miss Sam too, but not as much as they will!

Jerry then goes into the mission. "This is a short, but important mission. We need you girls to pick up an attaché case from the consulate in Slovenia and deliver it to the United Nations. Someone may try to steal it. One of you must have the case handcuffed to your wrist at all times! And now for your gadgets: WOOHP jet/copter; laser lipsticks; bungee belts; knockout gas cartridges; and inviso-gas masks"

Jerry whisks them away to their jet/copter. The girls arrive in Slovenia.

"Ok, gals. Let's do it!" says Sam.

The girls enter the consulate.

"We're from WOOHP, and are here for the attaché case," states Clover, as all three girls show the guards their WOOHP identification cards.

"Just one minute, please!" says the head guard, as he walks to a phone. Within a few minutes he comes back to the girls.

"Very well, ladies. Follow me!"

The guard leads the gals to the Slovenian Consul.

"Here are the couriers, sir," the guard states to the Consul.

"Very good! You may leave, Josef!" the Consul states.

"Ladies, this attaché case contains a treaty that will strengthen the ties between our country and Croatia ! It is extremely important that this treaty get to the United Nations!"

"We understand, sir! We'll guard it with our lives!" says Sam, as she reaches for the attaché case. But Clover intercepts her.

Clover says, "Sam! I'll attach it to my wrist! You act as one of the bodyguards," and Clover attaches the case to her wrist.

The gals board their jet/copter and prepare for their flight to New York.

"You fly the jet/copter, Sammy," says Alex, and Sam does.

While enroute, they are intercepted by an unidentified jet/copter. Sam is about to go to the weapon station, when Alex says, "I'll do that! You fly, I'll fight!" and she does.

Alex quickly goes to the weapons station. Within five minutes, Alex has defeated the interceptor.

"YEAH!" Alex exclaims.

The parachuting pilot is quickly picked up by WOOHP.

The rest of the mission is uneventful, and is completed with ease. The treaty is safely in the hands of the United Nations.

"Excellent job, ladies!" congratulates Jerry. "Another job well done!"

And so it goes, for two weeks. Clover and Alex make sure Sam gets all the relatively safe jobs on their missions, while they take the more dangerous ones.

But Sam protests, "Why should you guys take all the risks? It isn't fair!"

Alex replies as she hugs Sam around the neck, "We aren't going to let our best friend get hurt the last two weeks she is on our team!!!"

Clover seconds as she also hugs Sam around the neck, "Totally! We'd never forgive ourselves if we did!"

In their private lives as well, the gals try to cram as much together time as possible in these last two weeks. They hit the Mall, see movies, go inline skating, dancing, etc without taking a breath. They figure they will have enough time to rest after Sam is gone.

Thursday, two weeks later, arrives and it is time to go home – the last time the gals will see each other. At the door of her house, Sam and the gals say their final goodbyes.

"You were one of my best friends, ever," says Clover through her tears as she gives Sam a big hug, "and I'll miss you. But good luck in Florida!"

"Me too," says a tearful Alex as she gives Sam a big hug too, "I'll never forget you! Keep in touch! You have our e-mail addresses!"

"I'll remember you guys, always! Goodbye!" says a sobbing Sam as she returns the big hugs and goes into her house, closing the door quietly.

Clover and Alex hesitate for an instant, wave goodbye to the closed door, and slowly walk away from Sam's house to Clover's car.

Earlier in the day, Sam quietly returned her WOOHP gadgets to Jerry.

"Sam, I'd like you to keep your compowder," Jerry stated.

"Why, Jerry?"

"As a remembrance, and who knows? Maybe we'll need to call on you sometime in the future!"

Sam breaks a small smile, as she puts the compowder back in her purse.

Jerry again gets up from behind his desk and gives Sam a hug, as he fights back his own tears, "Goodbye and good luck, Sam! I know you'll do well at whatever you choose! I hope your memories of WOOHP and of me will be pleasant ones!"

Sam returns the hug, tears welling in her eyes, "They will be, Jerry! Goodbye!!" she said as she sadly left Jerry's office.

Jerry sadly watched her depart from his window, through the Surveillance Room and finally to the exit. Just before she went through the door, Sam glanced back one last time at Jerry's office, saw him and waved a sad goodbye. Jerry sadly returned the wave. Sam, with head drooped, then exited. Jerry also with head drooped returned to his desk.

Friday is the toughest day of all for Alex and Clover. They watch from Alex's house as a moving van slowly pulls away from Sam's house. She is officially gone now.

Just then, they get WOOHP'd by a sidewalk. They don't let out their screams of surprise – they don't let out a peep. They land on their landing cushion in total silence.

"Hello, ladies," says Jerry but before he can start the mission briefing, a sad Clover says, "Jerry, I am going to resign from WOOHP today. I have all my gadgets to turn in." Clover puts her backpack and compowder on Jerry's desk.

"The same for me, Jerry," says an equally sad Alex, as she also puts her backpack and compowder on Jerry's desk. The gals' heads are drooped in sadness, as they turn to exit Jerry's office.

"Well, before you turn in your resignations, I want you to meet your new teammate, if you decide to stay. She goes by the name of Samantha," the girls' heads turn up in shock as they stop dead in their tracks.

"But you can call me Sam!" says SAM! Alex and Clover turn quickly to see Sam, THEIR Sam standing there in her green jumpsuit.

"SAAAAMMMMMMYYYYY!" shrieks Clover and Alex together.

Immediately Clover and Alex rush Sam and end up tackling her onto their round landing pad. All three are crying and laughing at the same time, as they hug one another.

"Is it really you?" asks an incredulously happy Alex.

"In the flesh!" says a jubilant Sam.

"How?" asks an equally happy Clover.

"I found out from my Dad last night that he had applied for two Regional President positions: the Southeast Region in Florida, and the Southwest Region in California, headquartered in Los Angeles. Originally a more senior executive took the Southwest job, because he was not made aware of the other spot. He was originally from Florida and wanted to return. When he found out about the spot, he worked a trade with my Dad, so he could return to Florida, and my Dad could stay here!" says Sam.

"But we saw the moving van leave your house this morning!" says Alex.

"Oh, that! With all of the last minute changes, Dad's company forgot to tell the moving company to cancel."

"So, girls, you are still a team. That is, if you aren't resigning!" says Jerry with a twinkle in his eye.

"We're NOT!" says Alex and Clover as they retrieve their backpacks and compowders.

"When did you find out about this Jerry?" asks Alex.

"This morning. Sam called me on her compowder. She tried to contact you as well, but both of you forgot to charge them last night! So we decided to break the good news to you this way!"

And he was right! In their sadness over losing Sam, Clover and Alex just kept their compowders in their backpacks, and never put them into their charging cradles. Besides, they had decided to quit WOOHP anyways, so there wasn't a reason to charge them up.

"OK, Jerry," says a very happy Clover, "what's the mission?"

"Oh the mission has been accomplished! I have my spy team back intact!"

And with that the girls change into their street clothes and leave Jerry's office.

"Sammy! It sure is great to have you back!" says a smiling Clover as she gives Sam a quick hug.

"Totally, girlfriend! We're together again!" says a happy Alex also giving Sam a quick hug.

"You know gals, you never know what you have, until you almost lose it! I'm glad I've got you, and I hope I'll never lose you!!" says a happy Sam as she returns the hugs.

"So, who's up for a latte and movie?" asks Sam.

And the gals go on their happy way to the Mall.


End file.
